To the Editor:
Re “Mr. Obama’s Nuclear Policy” (editorial, April 7):
President Obama’s far-sighted initiative in trying to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons by reducing their number and proliferation and by specifying that the United States will in general not retaliate with nuclear weapons against nonnuclear countries should go a long way toward preventing a nuclear Armageddon.
That said, the president has also encouraged diplomatic engagement on the issues of nuclear arms and proliferation.
These moves by the president may well be remembered as his most important contribution to the welfare of this country and the world.
They represent policies that are fully in keeping with the best policies of President Ronald Reagan on these matters. Combined with vigilance, the policies are worthy actions of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Richard H. Escobales Jr.
Buffalo, April 7, 2010
To the Editor:
You suggest that President Obama is leading by example in an effort to prevent nuclear terrorism and proliferation. To think that rogue nations like Iran and North Korea will be inspired by our responsible efforts to reduce our nuclear fingerprint to stop their own nuclear ambitions is dangerous, naïve magical thinking. By definition, rogue nations do not emulate good behavior, but rather exploit it.
Ari Weitzner
New York, April 7, 2010
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 